Have a Stinky Fireplace in Attalla?

Here’s What to do About It!

Attalla, AL Stinky Fireplace Help

If you’ve been noticing a fireplace odor in your home, it may be time to hire a professional chimney sweep. No one wants to live with a stinky fireplace, especially in their own home. The quality of air you breathe is important to avoid chronic lung conditions, asthma and allergy flareups, and more. While all fireplaces have some type of smell, normal-functioning chimneys will emit the smell up and out the top so it doesn’t creep into the residence. Sometimes, however, the air from outdoors makes its way into your Attalla AL home.

Your best bet in this case is to schedule an inspection so you can rule out any decay, such as that from rotting animals or droppings, fallen leaves or excessive amounts of creosote, which is a black or brown tar-like substance that can be flammable if it’s allowed to build up. This substance, which lines the walls of your chimney, can be made up of smoke, water vapor, gases, unburned wood particles, hydrocarbon, tar fog and minerals, according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America.

Water and Negative Pressure: Two Culprits of Fireplace Odor

If the stench remains, there could be another cause and that’s moisture. When water is allowed to build up, it can mix with he creosote to produce an unpleasant odor. Scheduling annual chimney sweeping will take care of this once and for all. Negative air pressure within your house can make those smells enter the room instead of being vented outside which is where it should go. That along with water are the two most common problems when it comes to contributing factors for fireplace odors. Too much rainwater could be getting inside the chimney during rainstorms. Do you have a rain cap covering your chimney flue top? If not, you may want to consider having one installed. This will go a long way toward ensuring odors don’t infiltrate your home again. The addition of a rain cap has two benefits: it prevents excess moisture from getting in and it prevents critters and debris from falling inside.

Another factor you may have to deal with is negative pressure which is allowing air from the outdoors to infiltrate your home. This often happens after homeowners make changes in home improvements when they install new furnaces, exhaust fans and the like. You can try these handy solutions:

Close the fire damper when you’re not having a fire to form a seal.

Install a glass door to seal the opening when not burning a fire.

Install a top sealing damper on the top of the chimney that you can control from the hearth.

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A Professional Solution

Hiring a professional chimney service to address your fireplace odor problems is the best course of action, as your fireplace and the resulting creosote can be dangerous propositions to deal with. The professionals at Chimney Pro, for instance, are certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America and have all the proper safety equipment and tools to get the job done right. Our knowledgeable and friendly technicians are fully licensed and insured to provide chimney sweeping, leak repair, inspections, chimney cap installation, fireplace and stove installation, and masonry repairs.

If you live in Attalla AL or surrounding areas, don’t hesitate to give Chimney Pro a call to provide a solution to your stinky fireplace problem. To schedule a professional chimney sweep service, please give us a call today at (256) 845-9814.